


Resolved

by FrizzleNox



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: 5+1 Things, David Rose Loves Patrick Brewer, David Rose had some bad luck before he moved to Schitt's Creek, David Rose is a Nice Person, Dramatic Alexis Rose, Dramatic David Rose, Eventual Happy Ending, Gen, M/M, New Year's Resolutions, Patrick Brewer loves David Rose, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27928474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrizzleNox/pseuds/FrizzleNox
Summary: Five times David Rose made and failed to keep New Years Resolutions and one time he made and kept one.A 5+1 fic.
Relationships: David Rose/Other(s), Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Sebastien Raine/David Rose
Comments: 9
Kudos: 71
Collections: Schitt's Creek: Frozen Over (2020)





	1. Get involved in the Family Business

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SCFrozenOver2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCFrozenOver2020) collection. 



> _5 New Year’s resolutions that weren’t kept + 1 that was. Character/pairing of your choice._
> 
> Timelines are what they are. If DJL can't get them straight, neither can I. His resolutions are in chronological order but the ages at which they happened might be a little off.
> 
> Thanks to my beta for helping me out with this.

Looking resplendent in his suit, Johnny came barging into the dining room, where David sat, eating breakfast with Alexis and Adelina. “Son, have you thought about your future?”

David looked up from his pancakes, clearly annoyed.“Really, Dad? Of course I have.”

“Oh really? And uh...and what are your plans, then, son?”

“Graduate, go to college in New York, open up an art gallery.” Even at 16, David knew what he wanted to do with his life. 

“Have you thought about getting involved in the family business?”

David groaned. “I’m not working at Rose Video.” He replied bluntly.

“David, don’t be so contemptuous of your father.” Moira scolded him, fluttering into the room.

Johnny pressed on. “You’ll need some business experience if you want to run a gallery, David.”

“I can get it somewhere not owned by my family.”

Johnny patted David on his shoulder. “They need some help at the branch in town, son. I told them you’d be thrilled to join the team.”

“You did _not_.”

Undeterred, Johnny paced the room, looking out the windows at the snow that had started to fall. “It’s time you learn the meaning of hard work. You start on New Year’s Day.”

David gasped. “That’s tomorrow.”

“I know. I’ll make sure the driver is available to drop you off there at noon.”

Nope. No way. David’s dad would not get away with it. “This is _not_ happening.”

“Oooh, _David_ , you’ll look so handsome in your red polo.” Alexis pointed her fingers, punctuating each word, and smirked from across the table.

“Choke on some tinsel, Alexis.” 

Moira clapped her hands at them. “That’s enough you two! David, show a bit of humble gratitude for your father. He works tirelessly for this family and he only wants to bestow upon you both ways to keep yourselves financially stable. Surely you can’t expect your youthful beauty to carry you through life.”

“Ew!” David and Alexis said at the same time. David shooed his parents out of the room before they had a chance to embarrass him any further. “Fine, I’ll go! Just please leave.”

**

**_I guess my resolution this year is to learn the family business. I got hired at Rose Video. I start tomorrow._** David wrote in his journal later that night. He was by no means thrilled, but he knew it was time that he took some interest in Rose Video, and some extra spending money wouldn’t be that bad.

The red polo was itchy and not his style and the work was slow, but overall working at Rose Video wasn’t all that bad, as David quickly learned. 

What he hated about the job was dealing with people’s awful taste in films. While most romcoms were passable, the taste of some of his patrons was atrocious and he was vocal about it. American Pie, Big Daddy, and Austin Powers were simply incorrect. It was appalling to him how many people rented those films. On the other hand, Notting Hill, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Bring It On were all brilliant works of cinema, that he may have pushed a little too forcefully on patrons.

Despite his opinions, customers started to warm to him, and by Valentine’s Day, he was enjoying the hours he spent at work. He’d been picking up more shifts and was becoming friends with some of his coworkers. One, in particular, Jamie, was his favorite. What had started as some innocent flirting and bonding over their shared love of Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock had quickly gotten a lot less family-friendly, turning into regular quick makeout sessions in the backroom when they were both on break. David had fooled around with plenty of girls at that point, but Jamie was the first boy that he’d seriously thought about becoming intimate with. He loved it when he and Jamie, who was 17, in his senior year of high school and had been promoted to Assistant Manager, got to work alone together. 

Things came to a head one snowy night, when, after hours of no foot-traffic in the store, they decided to take their activities up a notch, quickly going from Parental-Guidance to Restricted, along the back wall of movies, hidden from view of anyone who might pop in.

They were so into it that David didn’t hear the bell ring, nor did know it would be his Father entering the store, intending to pick him up at the end of his shift. He heard a familiar throat clearing and jolted, cursing under his breath. He’d been caught by his father of all people. 

“Son, we need to talk,” Johnny said when they were alone in the car. “You’ve read the employee manual, right?”

David winced. “I guess I’m fired?”

Johnny clenched the steering wheel, clearly very upset. “Yes, son. You know I don’t want to, but you can’t just kiss a pretty girl or boy while the store is open, anyone could have _seen_ you. I just...I never thought I’d have to fire my own son.” 

“Mhm, well, I didn’t think anyone would come in the store.” David looked out the window, trying to avoid the conversation.

“I wish I didn’t have to do this, but if word gets out that the heir to the Rose Video empire was caught participating in illicit activities on the clock and he didn’t get fired, there’d be a total PR nightmare for the company.”

David sighed. “I know.”

“I just… I guess we should have had this discussion earlier, but you need to be safe. You know, Uhm, when I was your age, my father talked to me about the important things in life. I hope that you, uh..that when you’re with a lady like that, that you’re using protection. You know, condoms, um…He never had to talk to me about guys but use them with guys too... If that’s what you’re into...”

“Oh my god!” David exclaimed. He couldn’t believe this conversion was happening now. Did his father really think this had been his first time? He’d had sex with a handful of girls at this point, a few of them in his bedroom. He was glad that they’d pulled back up to the mansion so he could flee from this conversation. Before Johnny could say another word, David sprang from the car and headed to his room in silence. Relieved to be alone, he flopped on his bed, pulling out his journal. 

**_I had my first experience with another boy today, and I really liked it. I also got fired from Rose Video because we got caught fooling around at work. I guess I won’t be learning the family business any longer._**


	2. Stop Being a Dick to Alexis

**_This year I resolve to not be a total dick to Alexis._ **David looked down at what he’d just written in his journal. He really was trying to be nicer to his sister but it was much harder than he expected. She’d gotten sassier somehow. Maybe it was the all-girls school their parents had sent her to. He was glad to have some freedom when he was away. He was back in Canada for the first time in months and he wasn’t happy. He’d planned on staying in the city for his break, but his dorm was closed between semesters and he’d been forced to come home.

David could do this. He had three weeks until he returned to New York. Alexis was only on her Winter Break for another week, then he’d have the mansion to himself during the day.

It was hard for David not to snap at his sister, she did whatever she wanted without thinking of possible consequences. It was how she’d been their entire life, and he’d done the same, but somehow David always ended up dragged into Alexis’s adventures, much to his dismay.

“I’m borrowing the car,” Alexis announced loudly, barging into his room.

“What the fuck, Alexis? No, fuck no, you are not touching the car. You’re fifteen. Get one of your little Barbie looking friends to take you. Remember what happened last time when Dad caught you at the airport leaving for Coachella?” He grabbed his keys off his desk and clutched them tightly, not wanting to risk her grabbing for them and running out.

“Oh my god, that was _one time_ , David! Plus, I know how to drive. Brody taught me.” She flipped her hair nonchalantly and pawed at his fist, her fake nails scratching his skin.

“Ow! No! Get your t-rex arms off of me! It’s my car! You’re not touching it. Why can’t Brody or whoever come pick you up?”

Alexis flipped her hair as she spoke. “Brody wants me to come over. His parents are in Capri and he wants some company. His brother has the car.” She pouted.

“You’re too young to go over there alone.” He knew what she was up to, and he wasn’t going to allow it. He also had so many insults he could say about frat-boy Brody and his sweatshirts tied around his shoulders like some...but that was beside the point. He had a New Year’s Resolution to uphold and fuck all if he wasn’t going to give it at least one try to make it work.

“ _Please_ , David. Go with me then. You can drive and I’ll introduce you to some of Klair’s Bali friends who will be there. Mom said it was okay.”

“Alexis, you’re not going to visit a boy who is home alone. I’m not taking you there. The last time you went to a party, you ended up in Hong Kong, and I had to pay $10,000 to some sweaty buck-toothed Chinese guy to get you back. ” Did that count as snark or fact? David decided it sounded factual. This was his little sister and it still gave David a chill to his bones thinking of what that man looked like.

“Ugh. Fine. You’re no fun!” Alexis stormed out, completely disregarding anything her brother said.

Maybe David could keep his cool with Alexis and gain her respect after all.

“David! Don’t bother me for a bit. Okay?” Alexis giggled as she passed by his room later that day.

She was up to something and he knew it. He got out of bed and looked in the hallway, seeing a guy with spiked blonde hair and some sort of expensive tracksuit leaning in to kiss Alexis.

“Nope. No. Who the fuck are you?” He stepped close to the boy, looking him over.

“None of your business. He and I are about to have some alone time.” Alexis pulled the boy into her room, attempting to slam the door.

“The fuck you are!.” David shoved his foot in the door, pulling it open again. “Mom and Dad said no visitors.”

“They’ve been fine with me having Chad over before.”

“I doubt that.” David pulled out his cellphone and called their security guard. He wasn’t dealing with this on his own.

“What did you just do?” Alexis’s eyes darted to the phone.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Oh my god, David. You did not call Dad.”

“Even better.” David stepped aside as their security guard came in and started to sweep Alexis’s room.

“You’re a monster,” Alexis growled as Chad was escorted out.

“You’re too young to be sneaking boys over.”

“I hate you! You’re ruining my life!” Alexis screamed, slamming her door, catching David’s toe in it.

“Fuck. That fucking hurt. Dammit, Alexis!”

“You deserved it! Trying to ruin all my fun!”

“Eat glass, Alexis!” Ugh, he was failing at this.

It was January 1, and David hadn’t managed to keep his resolution for one whole day.


	3. Learn to Cook

A warm, sturdy hand shoved playfully at David’s shoulder. “You know, I’ve never had anyone make me dinner.”

“Really?” David pulled back to look at Shimmer, his latest sexual partner. He still rolled his eyes that she went by her stage name when she wasn’t working. ‘I could make you dinner some time. I’ve been told I’m a great cook.” David lied, he barely knew how to make minute-rice or macaroni and cheese, but he wouldn’t let that information out of the bag for anyone. 

“That would be amazing… _fuck_ …” An alarm started going off on her phone. “I’ve got to go. They need me to fill in for Drag Bingo tonight. You should come.” She leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips.

“I’ll try.” David watched as Shimmer dressed and headed to the door, swaying her hips suggestively as she went. It was her signature move on and off-stage that could turn anyone’s attention towards her, and damn did it always work on David.

“I’m off on Monday. The club is closed.” She announced on her way out.

“Well regardless if I go tonight, come over on Monday. Spend the night and I’ll make you dinner.”

“It’s a date.”

It was December 30th and he’d just made plans for January 2nd. David mentally kicked himself for not making New Year’s Eve plans with Shimmer. Maybe they’d bump into each other at the party he was attending in the Upper East Side, he could only hope. 

At the very least, they had the date planned for the next week, and David desperately needed to learn a mouth-watering recipe and to make it look effortless.

 _ **This year I will learn to cook.**_ David wrote in his bullet journal a few days later before heading to Whole Foods to get everything he’d need for dinner the next night.

He set to work on the preparations of an authentic Italian recipe he received from a friend putting the pasta in the pot of boiling water, heating up the spaghetti sauce, and timing exactly when to put the garlic bread in the oven. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat for a moment, texting Shimmer a photo of him in his apron. What he got in return was an unexpected phone call. Over the phone, he heard her moans, heard her begging for it _harder, faster_. At the moment he thought the whole thing might’ve been a joke, that she was just fucking with him, he heard her mention his name. 

“Oh god, Ricardo, that’s it, right there. So good. David who, am I right?” 

David gasped and hung up the phone. “ _David who?_ ” Also she mentioned Ricardo. David thought she hated that guy and always said how lewd he was, at work. He sat down on the stool and stared at the saucepan. This wasn’t how the night was supposed to go and he buried his head in his hands, shaking in disbelief. He thought, despite her job, he was special to her, that they had a connection, but just like everyone else from his past, he’d been quickly discarded.

Determined to redeem his evening, David went to the bathroom to splash some cool water on his face and then headed back to the kitchen. He’d made a huge meal and guessed he’d have to eat It by himself. As he drained the pasta, he smelled smoke. Looking over, he saw his oven mitt go up in flames against the burner he’d forgotten to turn off. He attempted to toss it in his sink but instead dropped it on a dishtowel, which also started to burn, triggering the smoke alarm.

He doused the flaming cloth with water from his sink and stepped back, relieved that the alarm had stopped.

There was a knock on his door, a maintenance man coming to check on the fire alarm.

“I’m good.” He assured them.

“I need to check it out. I still smell something.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing, David said indignantly. “I put out the fire!”

The man stepped inside, crinkling his nose.

“Nope, still something burning.”

Black smoke had started to pour from the oven. The garlic bread had burnt and with all of the drama, David hadn’t realized he’d actually slid the bread into the oven

 _What am I supposed to do now?_ David thought, cursing himself. 

The worker turned off the oven and threw the smoldering pan of bread in the sink, trying to stop the burning.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d open the windows, turn on the fans, and go out to eat. Smoke has a way of hanging around for a while. Giving it time to air out would be your best option. The man looked David up and down, marveling at his tiny apron. Guess you don’t usually cook?”

“I was making dinner for my date,” David grumbled.

“I’d make a reservation for tonight instead.”

“They’re fucking someone else, no need to, but I’ll treat myself to dinner out.” David didn’t even care if he was divulging too much information. He was pissed and all of his efforts to cook a decent meal had literally gone up in smoke.

David didn’t try to cook again for the rest of the year.


	4. Stop sleeping with Assistants

“David, you can’t keep doing this!” A voice yelled from the office of The Rose Art Gallery. It was Kat, David Rose’s business manager, and personal assistant.

“What did I do now?” He came in the room, brushing a few errant snowflakes off of his cashmere coat before hanging it on his coat rack. 

“Elise quit this morning.” Kat shot him a stern look. Elise was his latest intern, 21, and in her final semester at NYU.

“David, you’ve had quite a few employees quit since we opened. Micah, Zooey, Wayne, Velour, Travis, Esmerelda, Ronan …” She stopped to think for a moment. “And now Elise. David, that’s eight employees in the year since I started here. Eight people that you really didn’t need to fuck things up with.” She shoved a piece of paper at him. “Sign this.”

Jesus. He never realized his recent sexual escapades were with people named like Disney characters, action movies, and textiles. He pulled a pen off his desk and groaned, reading the sheet over before adding his signature. “ _Again_ , really?”

“David, do you want another one of your flings to make headlines? This just gives Elise a little bit of money and a glowing reference letter in exchange for her silence. No one needs to know that she really quit because her boss couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.” She pulled out a thick file folder from her desk and passed it over to David. “Find a new assistant. Someone you have no interest in fucking.”

“I haven’t fucked you yet and you’re still around. I don’t sleep with _all_ my employees.” David sat at his desk and started flipping through the papers, determined to make zero eye-contact with her. 

“You would have, but I made it very clear the first week I was here that I’m happily married and that my wife and I have no room for any men in our relationship.” Kat grabbed a resume off the printer and thrust it at David. “How about hiring an established artist for a change.”

He reluctantly glanced at the name. “Sebastian Raine,” David said, letting the name roll off his tongue. He already loved the sound and imagined saying it while bent-”

“-Stop, David! You have that look again. This is a potential employee! Take this seriously,”

David glared at Kat and then cleared his throat. “He’s accomplished,” he said and skimmed the paper. “I guess it would be nice to have someone here who knows what they’re doing and who isn’t just a student at Parsons or NYU.”

Kat pulled a photo of Sebastian up on her computer. “Looks like he’s not your type either.” 

David’s mouth went dry as he studied the photo for a moment. The man was scruffy, disheveled, almost homeless looking. Not his type at all and yet, there was just something about him that was undeniably intriguing. “Nope, absolutely not my type,” David said matter-of-factly. “He’s hired.”

When David got home that night, he pulled out his journal. **_Resolution for 2016- Stop sleeping with my employees._** David wanted to make good on that promise to Kat and to himself. They’d just agreed to bring on a guy named Sebastian Raine and all David knew was that he was a photographer and too dirty looking for his liking.

The resolution would last for a month before David decided that his new assistant wasn’t really all that dirty and then soon caught in the act by Kat. .

“So, funny story.” She began and approached David one morning. “I got a call from the security company last night.”

“Oh, I thought they had my number?” 

“They do but you didn’t answer. They wanted to know if they should send someone out to check on the premises. Someone entered around 2 in the morning.”

David glanced away, forming his thoughts. “Oh. Uhm. Did the police come out?”

“No, David _I_ pulled up the cameras and saw you with your pants around your ankles against the front desk with a scruffy looking guy, so I figured there wasn’t anyone unauthorized.”

David’s eyes widened. “Fuck.”

“I thought you said Sebastian wasn’t your type?”

“It, um, it won’t happen again. Not here, anyway.”

“This one better not turn into a law-suit. You know, if you had only answered your phone, I’d have been none the wiser.”

He nodded and then shut the door to the office, attempting to hide from the guilt and shame that had already been coursing through him. Nothing in David’s gut told him Sebastien would be the one, he’d already caught him in bed with someone else, but again, no one needed to know about any of that.


	5. Stop Sleeping with Locals and Randoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a text message graphic at the end of this chapter. If you can't read it, it's in the end notes.

I’m _not_ going to fuck this up again, David thought to himself as he wrote in his journal towards the end of the year. He knew he was stuck here, in Schitt’s Creek, for the foreseeable future, and he needed to make the most of it.

Never in his life had he gotten along after the fact with someone he’d hooked up with. The fact that he was still on speaking terms with Stevie came as a shock to him. Even more shocking was that she was quickly becoming his best friend.

“I’m done sleeping with townies and randoms.” He proudly proclaimed to her as they shared a friendly New Year’s kiss, soon after.

Stevie rolled her eyes and took another hit of the joint they were sharing. “Wanna bet?”

“Are you doubting me?”

“You said us sleeping together was a one-time thing, David. That was a lie. Face it, after everything you’ve told me, you’re pretty terrible at making promises to yourself.”

David waved his hands wildly, dismissing her as quickly as he listened. “You’re the exception. You’re my best friend here. It was your idea the second time anyway.”

“I don’t remember you saying no. Anyway, you’re gonna break that promise before your birthday. I don’t believe you can go that long without some action.”

“Oh. Okay,” David started, amusement in his tone. “Are you challenging me?”

“Loser buys the other a case of wine.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text of Text Message:
> 
> Text Message from Stevie Budd  
> SB-If you don’t feel like that case of wine, three nice bottles of whisky would suffice.  
> DR-What the fuck are you talking about?  
> SB-Remember our bet?  
> SB-Alexis asked me if I knew a hot guy named Jake.  
> DR-Oh my gosh.  
> SB-She was a bit surprised that you were able to get someone that good looking.  
> DR-I hate you both.  
> SB-You still owe me.


	6. Don't Lose Patrick Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some happiness for David!
> 
> Enjoy!

David never expected to fall in love when he moved to Schitt’s Creek, that was until he met Patrick. Their relationship had hit a rough spot four months in, but once they got back together, David hoped it was for good. He loved Patrick, and never wanted to be apart from him again, especially after their first Christmas as boyfriends and at least a dozen ‘I love yous’ exchanged between them. Mostly from Patrick.

With Ray out of town, Patrick had invited David to spend the night after his family’s Christmas party. Upon his arrival, David had found two pairs of matching pajamas, classic black and white plaid flannel. 

“What are these?” David looked at Patrick curiously, feeling the soft fabric.

“It’s a family tradition, everyone gets matching pajamas on Christmas Eve. I figured you’re basically family with the amount of time we spend together.” Patrick’s heart-eyes were on full display.

“They’re really soft, thank you.” David side-stepped the part where Patrick referred to him as _family_. 

Once they were changed, David took a selfie of them together, in their matching outfits, wanting to remember their first Christmas together. They’d recently declared their love to one another for the first time, and David hoped it would be the first of many holidays they’d share as a couple.

The rest of their holiday season was a bit of a blur, most of it spent together, working at the store. On New Year’s Eve, they shared a kiss at midnight, curled up on Ray’s couch in their matching pajamas. 

The next morning, David wrote in the new journal he’d gotten for Christmas, hoping he wasn’t jinxing himself by writing it down. **_This year, I resolve to not lose Patrick again._**

A few months later, Patrick would get down on one knee while they were on a hike and propose to him. The following September, they were married, surrounded by family and friends. 

On Christmas Eve of their first year of marriage, Patrick presented David with another set of pajamas, this time black and grey flannel pants, and grey tee shirts with the word “Husband” across the chest of each. 

For the first time in his life, David had managed to keep his New Year’s Resolution. When he resolved to make things work with Patrick nearly a year ago, despite a few instances that were a little shaky due to a few omissions of the truth on Patrick’s end, he hadn’t expected to be engaged and then married before the year was up. Yet here he was, curled up on the couch in their cottage, waiting for the countdown to the New Year, Patrick dozing on his shoulder, tired from a long day of work. He shook Patrick awake a few minutes before midnight, not wanting him to miss the ball drop. 

After their New Year’s kiss, David passed Patrick his journal. “I want to show you something I wrote a year ago today.”

Patrick grinned as he read the entry and pulled him in for another kiss. “My resolution last year was to put a ring on it. I guess we both had the same idea.”

For the first time in a while, David didn’t blink the tears away. “There’s no backing out now, you’re with me for life now, Patrick.”

Patrick raised his champagne glass. “I’ll drink to that.” After a few bubbly kisses, they got lost in the warm blankets on their couch and in the magic of starting another year in each other’s arms.


End file.
